Form Habits in Only 21 Days?

Diets, programs, books, and health clubs continue to claim healthy habits can be formed in only 21 days. Recent research suggests that we may need to triple that estimate.

Origin of "21 Days"

Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon, wrote a book in the 1960's entitled, "Psycho-Cybernetics", which enlightened us to his views of self-image psychology. From his experiences, he pinpointed 21 days as the time it took his patients to see a change in self-esteem after cosmetic surgery. His program is built upon doing different tasks, thinking different thoughts, and reciting self-affirmations, consecutively for 21 days. It is this early work, which many attribute the origin of the "21 day" myth for habit formation.

What is Habit?

In the research, "habit" refers to the automatic behavioral responses we all have in response to cues from our environment. As the cues and the behavior become more consistent and repetitive, habits form. The habits then intensify, becoming strong, deliberate, and difficult change.

Habit = Automaticity = Autopilot

Unfortunately, for many people, the 'unhealthy' habits are the ones engrained into the subconscious . . . not the 'healthy' ones. The unhealthy behaviors are so habitual, people do them without thinking. The goal, then, is to have healthy behaviors become so habitual that we do not have to think about doing them. Remember, habits are hard to break, so it would be really helpful to have healthy behaviors, such as eating healthfully and physical activity, to become habits. 

More Like 66 Days . . . On Average

Research has been looking at habit formation for many years, but some more recent research² has brought the "21 day" habit myth back into the media spotlight. Nearly 100 participants chose an eating, drinking, or activity behavior to carry out daily in the same context, such as 'after breakfast', for 12 weeks. What did they find?

1. Habit formation follows an asymptotic curve, as shown here. With repetition, in the same context, the automaticity of the behavior finally levels out = habit is formed.
2. Performing the behavior more consistently was better.
3. It took participants anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a habit.
4. The average days to form a healthy habit was 66 days, more than 3 times the original "21 days" myth.

How are Habits Formed?

If you want to form a habit, there are a few key things to remember.¹

1. You must make a decision to take action.
2. You must translate this decision into action, by remembering to do the behavior.
3. The behavior must be repeated, and in a way that is conducive to habit formation.

Use the following tips:

• Plan Ahead – Do not forget your walking/running shoes when you go on vacation. Say to yourself, "If (blank) may/will happen, then (blank)." Plan ahead, and form strategies.
• Cue yourself – Use cues that are event-based, especially within your normal routine, such as at breakfast, at lunch, at work, at home, when you sit down, when you get up, when you turn on the TV, and so forth.
• Consistently Repeat The Behavior – Repeat the behavior in the most consistent manner possible; the same way, same time, same place, and so forth.
• Monitor Your Behavior – For example, buy a pedometer to track your steps and/or write down what you eat.
• Remove Negative Cues – Find the negative cues that trigger you to do unhealthy behaviors, and remove them. For example, how easy is it to eat unhealthy in your house? If it is "easy", then you may have too many negative cues.

Measure Your Own Habit Strength

Think of any specific healthy or unhealthy behavior. Answer the 7 questions below, using the following scale. Total up all of your answers. The higher the number, the greater the habit strength for that particular behavior.³

Behavior "X" is something . . .

1. I do automatically.
2. I do without having to consciously remember.
3. I do without thinking.
4. that would require effort not to do it.
5. I start doing before I realize I'm doing it.
6. I would find hard not to do.
7. I have no need to think about doing.

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References

1. Lally, P., & Gardner, B. (2013). Promoting habit formation. Health Psychology Review, 7(supp. 1), S137-S158.
2. Lally, P., Van Jaarsveld, C.H.M., Potts, H.W.W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 998-1009.
3. Verplanken, B., & Orbell, S. (2003). Reflections on past behavior: A self-report index of habit strength. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(6), 1313-1330.